Hurry Home
by Ammie Hawk
Summary: Separated by two completely different wars, a father and son will finally be reunited. Warning: Yaoi, mentions of MPreg
1. Remember Me

Hurry Home

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Gundam Wing, or the song Hurry Home

Summary: Separated by two completely different wars, a father and son will finally be reunited.

Warnings: Yaoi

Pairings: SS/HP, past CD/HP, 05/02, 03/04, 06/01, RW/HG, SB/RL

AN: Okay, my latest plot bunny has arisen. I'm actually not going to apologize for starting a new fic, cause I recently realized, the more I have to work on the more I get done. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

_It doesn't matter what you've done, I still love you_

_It doesn't matter where you've been, you can still come home_

_And honey if it's you, we've got a lot of making up to do_

_And I can't hug you on the phone, so hurry home_

_(Chorus of Hurry Home by Jason Michael Carroll)_

Prologue: Remember Me

Lady Une, former OZ general and now head of the Preventers, frowned at the file in front of her. This was very disturbing news indeed. The boys weren't going to like this when they found out. Not only had one of their own been filed into the system, but he'd have to be placed, in accordance with the newly established Family Reconstruction Act, as he was still a minor.

It had been about six months since the end of the Eve Wars, and each of the five former Gundam pilots had gone their separate ways. She had, however, kept tabs on their current locations, for safety reasons. It wouldn't do for the head of the Preventers to not keep an eye on five highly unstable, newly emancipated, teens. Not that she was worried about the safety of others, no, she mostly kept tabs on them for their own safety, even if they were all more than capable of taking care of themselves.

A faint smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she thought about each of the five young men. Heero Yuy and Wufei Chang were both premiere agents of the fine organization of which she was now in command. Duo Maxwell was happily busy on L-2 working at a junkyard with young Hilde Schbeiker. Trowa Barton was still employed by the circus and traveling around with them. Then there was Quatre Rebarba Winner, _the_ Winner heir, he had taken his position inside his family's company and was doing rather well for himself.

With a frown, she slammed her hand down on the intercom button, located on her desk. She had to deal with this issue quickly, before it fell into the wrong hands.

"Get me Po!" she barked, not caring at the moment how she sounded to the poor secretary in the next room.

She waited, tapping her fingers impatiently against the folder in front of her. Why was this taking so long? The doctor should've been here by now. Just as she was about to hit the button again, there was a soft knocking on the door.

She barked for the person to enter and almost sagged in relief as her eyes met those of the Preventers head doctor. She quickly motioned for the other woman to have a seat before once again opening the file on her desk.

"Dr. Po," she began, glancing up briefly from the pages in front of her, "would you like to tell me why in the name of hell I am looking at a file that should never have been made in the first place?"

"My apologies, Lady Une," the doctor sighed. "I had no choice but to make the file. I triple checked the blood analysis myself and it was a match. Apparently, the sample was taken during the war."

"Damn it!" Une banged her fist on the desk. "This is not going to be pleasant. The five of them are not going to like this turn of events."

"I'm aware of that, Lady Une," Sally gave a soft sigh. "But we cannot, in good conscious, not tell him. He has the right to know that he has family out there."

"You're right, of course," the head of the Preventers sighed as well. "Very well, bring him in. And contact the family, they have a right to know as well."

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Duo Maxwell wasn't sure why he'd been contacted by the Preventers. He hadn't done anything illegal since the end of the war, at least that he'd been caught doing. He shook his head as he made his way inside the rather plain looking building and up to the desk marked INFORMATION. After shamelessly flirting with the young lady stationed there, he was told to wait over by the doors for someone to escort him up to his meeting.

Not five minutes later, the door opened and a shaggy haired brunette walked out, perusing a file. His steps faltered, however, as he looked up and spotted the braided teen. A frown marred his usually stoic face, his eyes never leaving his friend's visage, as he thought about what he'd been told to do. He'd been sent down to the lobby to escort someone upstairs to conference room B, which was where people were taken when they were taking part in the Family Reconstruction Act. Why was the former Deathscythe pilot meeting with Une there?

"Duo," he said, having finally reached the other teen.

"Heero!" the braided teen jumped to his feet and threw his arms around the former Wing pilot. "Did Une drag you here too? Or, wait, let me guess, you work here?"

"Hn," Heero nodded, causing the other to roll his eyes slightly. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the meeting room."

"Alrighty," Duo beamed, throwing his arms around the other's shoulders as they walked. "Ya know, I missed you guys, right? Didn't realize it till just now, but yeah, it's not the same without ya. I mean, yeah, Hilde's great and all, but it's just not like hanging out with you and the other three. Not to mention she's got herself a boyfriend."

"Hn," the brunette grunted.

"Aww, you missed me too, didn't ya?" the former Deathscythe pilot laughed merrily. "So, you wouldn't happen to know why Une summoned me here, do ya? I mean, it's not like I've been caught breaking the law or anything."

"The way you phrased that, Maxwell," a voice answered from behind them, "makes me not want to ask what you've been doing."

"Wufei!" Duo turned around, his braid flying in a large arc. "You too, man? Damn, this is just peachy. What did I do to deserve seeing both of you in one spot? Wait, you two aren't together, are you?"

"No," Heero scowled, giving one of his patented death glares of doom.

"I'd rather not have to deal with an angry Zechs Merquise for the mere mention of such a inference, Maxwell," Wufei rolled his eyes. "So please kindly refrain from insinuating such."

"Oh, I bet Relena loves that," the braided teen laughed. "You ditched her for her older brother. Does she even talk to you anymore, Hee-chan?"

"Hn," the brunette gave him a blank stare.

"Fine, fine, I get it," he beamed. "So we don't bring up the pink bitch. So what've you been up to, Fei?"

"My name is Wufei, Maxwell," black eyes narrowed into slits, how dare that idiot butcher his name like that.

"We need to be going," Heero said, grabbing hold of Duo's braid, hoping to prevent bloodshed. "Lady Une is waiting for you in conference room B."

He deliberately dropped the room name so his partner would get the hint and start investigating the situation while he continued with his task. Wufei's eyes widened slightly before he turned on his heel and headed back down the hall and disappeared into one of the many rooms located there.

"So, what's so special about conference room B?" Duo asked, having caught the exchange, he had been a Gundam pilot after all.

"Lady Une will tell you once I get you there," the former Wing pilot scowled slightly. Apparently Duo didn't know why he was here either.

They finally reached their destination and Heero knocked on the metal portal. After a moment, and a soft call for them to enter, Heero opened the door and preceded the braided teen into the room. He saluted the two women sitting at the table before turning on his heel and heading back down the hall. Duo stood there for a moment, watching his friend's actions before plopping down in an open chair and turning to face the two ladies.

"Une, Sally," he nodded, "nice ta see ya both again."

"Duo, it's always a pleasure," the doctor beamed at him.

"Maxwell," Lady Une cleared her throat, pleasantries could wait until later. "I know you're wondering why we called you here."

"Never one to beat around the bush, where ya, Une Baby," he chuckled. "So why did ya call me to conference room B, cause Hee-chan and Wuffers seemed to think the room was important as well?"

"Yes, well," she shook her head slightly. "You're not going to like this, but in accordance with the Family Reconstruction Act, we are obligated to inform you, Duo Maxwell, that we have found your family."

"Ha!" the braided teen doubled up laughing. "Oh, Une Baby, you really had me going there for a sec! Honestly, me, have family! Hahaha!"

"Duo, this isn't funny," Sally scowled at him, not sure why he was laughing.

"Wait, you're serious?" he sobered up immediately, the doctor's expression speaking louder than the former General's announcement. "I actually have family out there. How the fuck did you find out? I'm not even in the fucking system. You agreed that the five of us pilots were better off not in it."

"And we still hold by that," Lady Une frowned at the folder in front of her. "However, you were already in the database. Apparently, when you were about to be executed Romefeller decided they needed a blood sample as well."

"What's that mean, though, for me?" he gave her a confused look.

"It means, Duo," Sally sighed, "that as soon as we hear back from your family, you will more than likely be placed into their custody."

"Who the hell did you find?" he asked, the beginnings of panic entering his voice.

"We have found your father," Une answered, finally flipping open the file. "There is no record of your mother. However, we have sent a letter to your father and informed him of this new development."

"How long is this fucking gonna take?" the former Deathscythe pilot scoffed, completely floored by the situation.

"We hope to hear from him within the week," Lady Une said decisively. "In the mean time, you will be in the care of Agents 01 and 05. Agent Waters," she turned to the doctor, "if you would be so kind as to bring them in, as well as Agent Wind, we will conclude this meeting."

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"Ugh."

The groan sounded throughout the small house as its owners returned from their many months absence. A bag was dropped by the door, as the younger of the two men made his way into the sitting room and flopped down on the couch. The elder gave him a slightly affectionate, condescending look before picking up the discarded bag and heading toward the stairs, which would take him to their bedroom.

"Why the hell did I let you talk me into working with those damn brats?" the young man on the couch called after the man. "I remember you telling me, all those years ago, how much you hated working with all those dunderheads."

"If I recall correctly," the other said, sticking his head back into the room before he made his way up the stairs, "you were the one who said your talents would be best served at Hogwarts. There was also the small fact that I would be detained within the castle for ten months out of the year, while you would be here with nothing but your imagination and knack for trouble to keep you company."

"You're so mean to me," the younger pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why do I put up with you?"

"Because you are irrevocably in love with my wit and sarcasm," the elder called from up the stairs. "And the fact that you married me."

"Damn it, you've got a point there," he scratched his head sheepishly. "Fine then, I'll just quit. I've had enough of those damn kids injuring themselves and ending up in my care."

"You've been saying that for the past ten years," his husband said, coming back into the room. "You have yet to go through with your idle threat. Besides, even if you tried that incorrigible fool we both work for would somehow get you to stay on, and you know it."

"Damn him and his twinkling eyes," he ran his hand through his shoulder length black hair, scowling as he ran into a patch of tangles. "Did you check the mail when we came? I hate leaving it for all those months while we're away, but it's not as if we can get home during that time."

"Why don't you get off your lazy ass and check it yourself, you ungrateful brat?" the older man sneered playfully.

"Cause if I did that," the younger smirked, "I would have to get up. And as your Healer, old man, I believe it would be good for your health to do a bit of exercise."

"Your impertinence still knows no bounds, you ungrateful little whelp," dark eyes rolled, as he made his way over to the small table next to the door.

He picked up the considerable stack of letters and began sorting them into three piles: his, his spouse's, and junk mail. The second pile was considerably larger than the first, but the third left the other two dwarfed in comparison. When it was finally all sorted, he made his way back over to his husband and handed him his still considerable pile. He then seated himself in his armchair a short distance away and began reading the few letter.

"Let's see what the haul is this year," his husband muttered, bringing the stack up to his face so he wouldn't have to bend his neck and began rifling through it, making his own piles. "Weasley... Weasley... Weasley... Weasley... you'd think they'd learn by now to send their correspondence to the school," he scoffed. "Ooh, client... client... Weasley... Weasley... interview..." he pulled a face. "Weasley... client... another interview... what the hell is this?"

"What is it?" his husband looked up from his own perusal of his letters at the other's abrupt change in commentary.

"It's from the Muggle Preventers," the younger man scowled. "I haven't done anything in the Muggle world for awhile now. Wait, you don't think this has to do with my relatives do you? My cousin was in the war, wasn't he? Oh shit! What if this has something to do with him or his family? You don't think my aunt or uncle would've put me down as next of kin, do you?"

"Why don't you desist speculating on probabilities and open the damnable letter already?"

"Fine," he pouted, breaking the seal with his thumb and pulling the letter out.

As his eyes darted back and forth across the page rapidly behind his spectacles, his face slowly began draining of color. His husband's dark eyes grew concerned as he noted his spouse's pallor. Reaching out a hand, he placed it gently on his lover's knee and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"What does it say?" he asked, but received no answer from his shocked partner. "Harry... Harry! Harry James Potter answer me!"

"They've found him!" Harry's wide emerald eyes met his husband's concerned gaze. "Severus, they've found him!"

"Found whom, exactly?" Severus scowled, not sure what to make of his husband's tone.

"My son!" Harry answered as he jumped to his feet. "They've found my son!"

And with that exclamation, he pulled his wand from his sleeve, turned on the spot, and was gone before his husband could get a word in edgewise.

* * *

Ammie: Okay, there it is! My latest venture into fanfictiondom. I hope you all enjoy, and until next time.


	2. Daddy's Here!

Hurry Home

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: Damn it! Still not mine.

AN: Okay, here's the second installment of Hurry Home. I hope a few things get cleared up for everyone.

Chapter 2: Daddy's Here!

Duo Maxwell was bored! Not just mildly either, but utterly, mind-numbingly bored. There was only so much idleness he could handle at one time, and one week worth of it was driving him insane. True, he'd spent the last seven days catching up with and subsequently tormenting Heero, Wufei, and occasionally Zechs, but the evil Lady wouldn't let him leave until his father showed up. So here he was, sitting in Wufei and Heero's office, waiting.

Why he had to wait for the bastard that had abandoned him all those years ago, he didn't know. And while he did want to meet the guy, just to get some answers, he wasn't about to let this jackass he'd never met come in and ruin his life.

He also wasn't sure why they were waiting for the fucker to show anyway. If he hadn't wanted Duo when he was a baby, why would he want him now? The shithead was probably sitting on his ass somewhere, drinking himself stupid, ignoring, once again, the fact that he had a son out there waiting for him. He was probably an abusive pig too. Or worse yet, left his mom as soon as he found out he'd knocked her up.

But what if that wasn't it at all? What if his mother had been the one that got rid of him, and his dad didn't even know about it? He'd have to be pretty stupid not to notice that his son was missing, but she could've told him any number of things. This man could be completely innocent in the whole thing and had been searching for him for the past fifteen years. He quickly discarded this idea, however. Yeah right, since when would something like that ever happen to him.

He had just stood up and began pacing when the door to the office swung open and one of the owners of said office entered.

"Fei!" he threw himself at the Chinese teen, hoping to alleviate his boredom, as well as his racing thoughts. "Can we go out and do something? I'm bored!"

"Can you please act your age, Maxwell?" a dark brow rose curiously. "Or is that too much for you to manage?"

"You're so mean to me, Fei," Duo pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "First you leave me all alone in this boring office and then expect me to stay here and not touch anything, then when you do come back, you won't take me anywhere else."

"Lucky for you then," Wufei smirked slightly, recognizing the act for what it was, "I'm actually here to take you somewhere."

"Huh?" amethyst eyes widened in surprise. "Where are we going?"

"Down the hall," the former Shenlong pilot answered calmly. "Lady Une has called for you."

"What? Why?" he questioned, jumping up and down next to the Preventer agent. "Does this mean I can finally go back to L-2? Did she give up on him ever showing up, t-?" he cut off abruptly, he'd almost said too much.

"Why don't we go down the hall and find out, Maxwell?" onyx eyes rolled in mock annoyance, though he knew perfectly well what, or rather who, exactly waited in his superior's office.

And without further ado, he grabbed hold of the excitable youth and began dragging him down the hall. Duo protested, loudly, about the mistreatment of his person all the way to the commander's office, which Wufei promptly ignored. Heads poked out of the offices on either side of the hallway but, upon seeing the pair of pilots, wrote it off as nothing of consequence.

Wufei rolled his eyes again as they finally reached their destination. He pushed open the door and directed the braided teen over the threshold. He smirked slightly as he caught the brunette's expression when he spotted the other occupants of the Lady's office. He knew Duo would appreciate the surprise, that's why he'd not said anything previously.

"Q-Quatre? T-Trowa?" Duo stammered, his amethyst eyes darting between the two teens seated before Lady Une's desk. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to see you, of course," the small blonde beamed, rising out of his chair to embrace the two new occupants of the room. "We couldn't very well let you face this all on your own, now could we?"

"Aw, shucks, Quat," the former Deathscythe pilot hid behind his bangs. "You didn't have to do that for me. Besides, it's not like he's ever gonna show up anyway."

"Duo," Quatre reached out and pulled the slightly taller teen into another hug, his Space Heart going crazy with the mixed emotions of the braided teen. "Don't worry. He'll come, and he'll love you, you know that."

Duo tried to scoff but, wrapped up in the blonde's arms as he was, it came out more of a strangled sob. Without consciously thinking about it, he proceeded to bury his head in the former Sandrock pilot's shoulder and did what he'd been trying not to do for the past seven days. He allowed himself to cry.

Quatre maneuvered himself and Duo over to the small couch Lady Une had along one wall in her office. He knew his friend had been worrying himself sick over this new revelation in his life, but hadn't let himself go, choosing instead to hide behind his anger and a joker mask. But Quatre knew. Hell, all of them did, actually, but none of the other four were able to help him open up like the Empath could.

They had just settled in on the couch when the door to the office burst open.

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Harry ended up Apparating just a block away from the Preventers office, located in London. Not that he'd initially planned that, but it was close enough. He had barely taken two steps before he heard an accompanying crack behind him, and his husband appeared. He pretended he hadn't noticed and continued on his way, anxious to see if his son was truly alive.

Severus Snape was never very good at accepting being ignored, especially by impertinent little brats, even if he had married one. In five easy strides he caught up with his husband and latched on to his arm, halting his progress.

"What nonsense are you spouting, you insufferable whelp?" he demanded, turning the younger man around to face him. "You and I both know your son died many years ago."

"I know, Sev," emerald eyes closed in pain, "but the letter says they've found him. I can't let this opportunity pass without at least looking into it. I know it's likely that it's not him and it's just someone seeking my fame, but I'm not going to give up hope that he could be out there somewhere."

With a sigh, the dour Potions Master wrapped the young Healer in his arms. Neither one of them had wanted to believe the news that Harry's son had died, but it had been almost fifteen years ago.

He knew it hurt his husband tremendously that he'd lost the one happy memory he'd had of his fifth year of schooling, what with the final battle happening that same year, but he had hoped he'd finally gotten over it. He also knew his husband wanted the child to be alive for the other father's sake. Harry's son had been the only thing that remained of the late Cedric Diggory.

Severus couldn't regret that he'd helped the young Gryffindor through his pregnancy and the labor, that's what had brought the couple to the point they were now. He did regret, however, the fact that he hadn't been able to protect Harry's offspring. Also that he couldn't provide his spouse with another child to replace the one he, Severus, had lost. Not that Harry's sterility was his fault. No, the blame for that one lay solely at the deceased Dark Lord's feet. If it hadn't been for the cutting hex to the abdomen that had almost cost Harry his life, he'd still be able to carry children. But alas, it had happened, and so soon after the birth of his son, the reproductive organs were still in place and hadn't been able to recover from the blow. Harry, however, said that if exchanging his ability to carry children for his life was the price required, then it wasn't so horrible. Severus saw that for the Gryffindor front it was.

"Shall we?" Harry pulled out of his husband's arms, his eyes suspiciously moist.

"If you insist," Severus gave a long suffering sigh. "But please try to restrain yourself. This could just be a big misunderstanding."

"I know," he said, unable to meet his lover's dark eyes. "Let's go."

Keeping a firm hold on his husband's arm, Severus began the trek down the street to the Preventers building. They made their way inside and to the front desk, unconsciously taking the route Duo had just one week prior.

"Excuse me," Severus gave the young woman his best impersonation of Lucius Malfoy. "Could you direct us to Lady Une's office? We need to speak with her."

"Your business with her?" she asked, unperturbed by his cool demeanor.

"I got a letter asking me to come in," Harry answered, elbowing his husband slightly, holding up the official letter, still clutched tightly in his left fist.

"Of course," she smiled, recognizing the seal at the top, even if she couldn't read it. "If you'll have a seat, someone will be down to take you to her office momentarily."

"Thanks," Harry beamed at her as Severus dragged him over ot the rows of chairs.

8888888

Heero walked out into the lobby, a scowl firmly planted on his face. He was getting exceedingly tired of getting called down to escort civilians up to see Lady Une. He wasn't some damn errand boy, or fucking intern, he was a field agent, and an ex-terrorist but who was keeping track of that one. He made his way over to the two men seated in the chairs and, once they looked up at him, nodded for them to follow him. He wasn't about to lower himself to actually converse with these people.

8888888

Severus was not impressed by their escort. The insolent whelp couldn't be older than some of his fifth year students. And he had the gall to look down at them. Had he no respect? A restraining hand on his arm kept him from giving this young man the sharper side of his tongue, but only just.

Harry could tell his husband was pissed with the boy who was taking them up the stairs, but he knew it wouldn't make a good impression if he'd made the poor lad cry, he was probably only an intern after all. He smirked slightly, his husband was a jumble of contradictions, but that's what he loved most about the man. He was pulled from his contemplations as they reached a desk on one of the upper floors, he was a bit ashamed to admit that he hadn't paid attention.

"Agent 01," the woman behind the desk sat up straight as she noticed the messy haired brunette, and Harry's eyes widened slightly, that boy was an agent here, what had the world come to. "What can I do for you?"

"These gentlemen are here to see Une," he said in a monotone.

"Oh?" she looked confused for a moment, consulting a book in front of her. "I must have misscheduled them. Well," she turned a smile on Harry and Severus, "if you'd please have a seat. She's currently in a meeting with the latest orphan of the Family Reconstruction Act." She noticed Harry's attention turn to her at the comment, so she decided to elaborate for the handsome man, ignoring the glare the agent beside him was giving her. "Apparently, his family didn't want him. They never showed up."

Harry's mind screeched to a halt at that little tidbit. No! He couldn't be too late! He had to get in there and reassure his son that he wanted him. With a recklessness that would make his old house proud, he slipped past both his husband and the agent and slammed open the office door.

His emerald eyes darted around the room expectantly, resting first on the stern looking woman behind the desk, whom he promptly ignored; then to the dark haired Asian teen standing in front of it; to the auburn haired teen staring at him through one green eye, the other obscured by the long fall of his bangs; to the blonde sitting on the couch comforting a distraught girl with a meter braid trailing down her back. He bowed his head sheepishly, just realizing he'd made a terrible mistake, and turned his attention back to the woman in the room.

"I'm sorry," he said hoarsely, tears threatening to fall. His son wasn't here, he'd gotten his hopes up for nothing. "I shouldn't have done that."

"And you are, sir?" Une arched a brow at the strange raven-haired man standing in her doorway.

She knew there was something she was missing. This man was looking for something, and had been disappointed by what he'd found in her office. She hadn't missed the look of hope in those emerald depths as they passed over the boys in the room.

"Harry James Potter!" a stern voice preceded the dour man who entered her office behind the bespectacled man, and her eyes widened slightly. "Hasn't anything penetrated that thick skull of yours in all these years? Haven't you learned to think first and then act accordingly?"

"Just a moment, please, sir," Une held up her hand, silencing the intimidating looking man, yes, he was intimidating even for someone like her. "Did you say this is Harry Potter?"

"Uh, yeah," Harry chuckled nervously. "I'm terribly sorry. I just... I was being stupid, as usual."

"Please, Mr. Potter, have a seat," she indicated the chair next to the auburn haired teen.

The married couple shared a confused look before the younger partner moved forward to the indicated chair. He sincerely hoped this woman wasn't trying to pass the teen next to him off as his son, because he wasn't, his son didn't have his green eyes. Severus followed, not sure what was going on, but knowing his husband needed his support at the moment.

Lady Une wasn't sure why the other man had stayed, but then again, she wasn't going to question it. If Mr. Potter decided to bring someone with him for emotional support, who was she to argue, considering there were four boys in her office for the exact same reason.

The four aforementioned young men shared a look as the two men took up their spots in the office and Heero closed the door behind himself. Why had Lady Une invited these two strangers into their private meeting, especially with Duo in the state he was in? Wufei and Heero surreptitiously moved over to flank the couch, giving their friend a semblance of privacy. Trowa stood up from his seat and silently offered it to the dour man, who had yet to be identified. He then made his way over and sat down on the couch next to the small Arabian, drawing both him and Duo into a protective embrace.

"Now," she smiled slightly, her eyes shining mischievously. "I'm so glad you were able to make it. We had almost given up hope that you would ever show up."

"I'm sorry," he gave a weak chuckle. "I work at a boarding school and I don't have my mail forwarded. I only just received your letter, and came as soon as I was able. Are you absolutely certain of this fact, though? I have somewhat of a celebrity status here in Britain, and I'd hate to have this be some kind of hoax, or publicity stunt."

"I can assure you, Mr. Potter, that it is neither," she leaned forward on her elbows, her chin resting on her folded hands. "The head of our medical staff checked the DNA herself, three time."

Four sets of eyes swiveled around to study the raven haired man with new interest. Harry squirmed slightly under the scrutiny, even with all his fame he still wasn't used to it. The braided girl on the couch had now stopped sobbing and was now paying attention with half an ear, though her face remained buried in the blonde's shoulder. Severus' hand landed heavily on his knee and gave a rather harsh squeeze, and Harry knew his husband was as shocked by this news as he had been.

"So you're saying," he took a shaky breath, reaching down and squeezing his husband's hand, craving reassurance, "that my son... that he's alive?"

* * *

Ammie: Whew! Second chapter down, however many more to go. Ya'll don't realize how emotional this chapter actually is. I laughed, I cried, it moved me, Bob. Hope ya'll like it. Please let me know what ya think, reviews make me smile.


	3. Home

Hurry Home

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: I need some coffee!

AN: Okay, so here it is my third day of Christmas present. Hope the Christmas spirit is alive and well.

Chapter 3: Home

Duo looked up from where he'd been watering Quatre's shoulder. This man couldn't be saying what he thought he was, could he? He felt the two pairs of arms around him give a reassuring squeeze, letting him know the other pilots were there for him if he needed them.

"Yes, Mr. Potter," Lady Une nodded. "That is exactly what I am saying. Not only is your son alive, he's here in this room. We've been waiting on you for a week now."

Harry shook his head, "I'm sorry, Lady Une. I'm sure these boys are fine young men, but they aren't my Brendan. I'll never forget him, even if it has been fifteen years since I've seen him. His eyes still haunt my dreams. I've never seen eyes like his before, they were the most amazing shade of blue imaginable, they were almost purple in their coloring."

Severus listened to his husband's bittersweet memories with only half an ear. Most of his attention had been drawn to the sofa, where the aforementioned boys were seated. His eyes drifted over all of them. The two Asian teens were watching the room, almost like some kind of guard; the green eyed teen who'd given him his seat was watching Harry with a completely expressionless face, which rather unnerved the Potions Master; the little blonde was also watching his husband, but his emotions were abundantly clear in his tear-filled teal eyes; however, as his eyes traveled over the one with the braid, he paused and watched those wide amethyst eyes dart rapidly between Lady Une and Harry.

"Harry," he interjected quietly, hoping to get his husband's attention.

"I'm sorry that we put you through this trouble," Harry brushed off his husband at the moment, he needed to make this woman understand that he wasn't going to let her get away with this.

"Harry!" Severus finally gave up and turned the younger man's head so he was forced to look at the five boys. "Take a closer look at the one with the braid."

"Severus, what are you…" he trailed off as he locked gazes with the one he assumed as a girl. "Brendan," he breathed.

He pushed to his feet as if in slow motion and made his way over to the couch. The other pilots allowed him to get close, but they weren't going to give him any room to try anything. He slowly reached out and gently grabbed the former Deathscythe pilot's chin, his eyes now drinking in every detail of the braided teen's face.

"Sweet Merlin, it's you!" he fell to his knees and gathered the boy into his arms, his body raked with sobs.

Wide amethyst eyes darted around the room in shock. This was something he hadn't expected at all. He half hoped the man in front of him would let go, just so he could take this all in, but the other, louder, half just wanted to stay wrapped up in his father's arms forever.

"Harry," Snape went over and placed his hand on his husband's shoulder. "You need to let the boy breathe."

Harry reached up and placed his hand on the one on his shoulder. With a sharp tug from the former Gryffindor, the most feared professor to ever walk the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry found himself sat hard on his ass and his arms suddenly full of a crying man and a confused boy.

'No!' Duo's mind screamed as he felt one of his father's arms break the protective circle he was now in. Was it his fault? Had he not responded in time? With a sob, he quickly threw his arms around the man in front of him, not willing to let him go yet.

The others around the room watched the trio on the floor in shocked surprise. Lady Une had not expected this reaction out of either party, especially after the long wait Mr. Potter had put them through. Heero was actually happy for his best friend, he deserved to have someone to love and care for him, and obviously this man was more than willing to do the job. Trowa was relieved, not that he'd told anyone but his little lover, but he'd been worried about the braided teen. Quatre let out a soft sob as he watched the family reunion, the only reason he wasn't down there with them was his lover's strong arms holding him in place. He was so happy that Duo had found his father, and from the emotions radiating off the bespectacled man, he was just what the former street rat needed. Wufei, however, clenched his hands into fists at his side.

Who did this man think he was? Coming in here and disrupting their perfect little family like that? True, he was happy that Duo hadn't been rejected, but he almost wished he had been, then things could remain the same. What the hell was wrong with him?

Harry finally pulled back enough to once again look at his son. He sniffed as he flicked the bangs off the teen's face, drawing his attention upwards. He gave a watery smile when amethyst eyes finally raised to meet his own.

"As much as I hate to interrupt this reunion," Lady Une cleared her throat quietly. "I believe we have some paperwork to attend to."

"Of course," Snape nodded, maneuvering the man and boy off his lap so he could get to his feet. "Come, Harry."

He pushed to his feet and held out his hand for the raven haired man still on the floor. Harry took it and levered himself onto his feet. Severus wrapped an arm around his husband's waist, while offering his other hand to the teen still sitting on the floor. Duo eyed it for a moment before also accepting and pushing to his feet.

Harry looked as if he wanted to grab the braided teen again, but refrained. He allowed his husband to steer him back to his chair and away from his son. Once he was seated again, he turned his attention to Lady Une.

Anne Une had seen many things in her lifetime, but nothing was as heartbreaking as looking into this man's teary emerald eyes. And it wasn't so much that he was crying, but that he had been denied the opportunity to love and care for his son for so long, and had even accepted the fact that his son could possibly be dead. She finally shook her head and began shuffling papers around on her desk, just to keep from making eye contact again.

"Ah, here we are," she pulled a folder out from the bottom of the stack on her desk. "All you have to do is sign on the dotted line and Duo can go home with you."

"Thank you," Harry took the thin folder and opened it.

His eyes darted across the papers, reading every word carefully before signing his name at the bottom. However, before he handed it back, he cast a sidelong glance at his husband.

"Lady Une," he cleared his throat, "would this document work similarly to an adoption paper?"

"It could," she frowned. "However, we are still looking for the mother."

"You won't find anything," Harry shook his head sadly. "Ced died a long time ago. Severus was the one who helped me raise him until the attack. I would like to make him a legal guardian of my son."

"I see," she nodded. "Well, if you are sure, I see no problem with you having him sign the forms as well. However, may I be so bold as to ask his relationship to you?"

"He's my husband," Harry smiled, handing a shocked Snape the folder.

Severus looked down at the paper in front of him. He had been taken completely off guard by his husband's request. Why would Harry give him such an honor, especially after what he had done to him and his son? He looked over at the younger man, who gave him a lopsided grin and nodded almost imperceptibly. He then turned back to the papers in his hands and put his signature beneath his husband's.

"Very well," Lady Une said, taking the file back into her possession. "It seems we are done here. If you gentlemen will follow Agent 01, he will escort you to his office to collect Duo's things and you can be on your way."

"Thank you once again, Lady Une," Harry pushed to his feet, extending his hand for the woman to shake. "It means the world to me to have my Brendan back."

"That's what we're here for," she bit her lip as she accepted the handshake, thinking that this never would've happened if it hadn't been for Duo's capture during the war. "Boys, it's time to say goodbye."

"Well, I guess this is it, guys," Duo turned to the other former pilots, his mask firmly in place once more. "Let's not wait so long before the next reunion."

"Oh, Duo," Quatre sniffed, pulling the braided teen into a hug. "Just know that no matter what, you're always welcome to come stay with me. And call me, okay? I want to know how you're doing."

"Thanks, Q-ball," he beamed, pulling out of the embrace. "Trowa? No words of wisdom from you?"

"Take care of yourself, Duo," the usually silent pilot shook his head, the barest hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Aww, I knew you cared," the braided teen chuckled. "Hee-chan, don't let Zechsypoo boss ya around too much, kay?"

"Hn," the former Wing pilot smirked. "I'll see you around, Duo."

"Well, bye bye, Fei-Fei," he turned to the Chinese teen. "I know you'll miss me the most, cause who else can ya chase around the office with that sword of yours threatening to hack their braids off, eh? Of course, there's always Sally, or Une, but I don't think you're suicidal enough to threaten them."

"You're keeping your family waiting, Maxwell," Wufei clenched his fists tighter, his posture rigid. "Just go already."

"Don't worry, guys," Duo shook his head, "I'll keep in touch this time. No more long silences from me."

"We'll hold you to that, Duo," the blonde said, tears snaking down his cheeks, his hand clenching at his heart. "And don't worry, we won't forget you."

With one last smile, the former Deathscythe pilot turned on his heel and headed toward the door. Heero stepped forward and motioned for the two men to follow him. Harry and Severus fell into step behind the agent once more and they made their way down the hall in Duo's wake.

Within ten minutes, the newly reunited family members were out of the building and on their way home. When they were about a block away from the Preventer building, Severus led them down a deserted alleyway. Duo eyed the two men suspiciously. Was this some kind of sick joke they were playing? Had all that back in Une's office been a farce?

"Brendan," Harry turned to the teen, "I know I've given you no reason to trust me, but we're going to go home now and I need you to put your trust in me to get you there safely. Can you do that for me?"

The former street rat studied the unguarded emerald eyes and saw nothing but honesty in their depths. He nodded ever so slowly. The next moment, he found himself enveloped in his father's strong embrace. He buried his face in his father's shirt, not sure what the spontaneous hug was for, but willing to accept it. At least he was until he felt like his entire body was being forced through a tiny straw. He tried to break free, but the man's hold on him was too secure.

What felt like an eternity later to Duo, but in reality was only a couple of moments, the sensation stopped. He stumbled out of his father's embrace and gave him an accusing glare.

"Forgive me," Harry smiled sheepishly. "It was the best way to go about getting you home."

"I take it he didn't like his first experience with apparation?" Severus asked with a raised brow.

"No, he didn't," the bespectacled man chuckled. "Though I do have to admit that he was almost too much to handle. If he'd struggled any more he would've been splinched so badly that even I'd have a difficult time putting him back together."

"I'm still here ya know," Duo said impatiently, tired of being talked around.

"So you are," dark eyes turned to study the teen and Duo felt as if this man could read his mind if he so chose.

"Okay," Harry shook his head. "Anyway, welcome home, Brendan. This is where we live for at least two months out of the year." Here he scowled, "I'm calling Dumbledore now and quitting. There's no way I'm going to work at Hogwarts next year."

"Do you think Hogwarts will not accept your son?" Snape rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Please. Dumbledore will get down on bended knee and beg to have the honor of teaching your son."

Duo tuned the two squabbling men out as he took stock of his surroundings. He was actually quite surprised to find himself in a house and not still in the alleyway. A quick look out the window confirmed that they weren't in London anymore either. Where the hell had these men taken him? That's not even touching on the hows of the situation.

"What the fuck is going on, old man?" he pulled a gun from the back of his pants, where he usually stashed it. "Where the hell am I?"

"Brendan!" Harry's eyes were wide as he fiddled with his shirt sleeve. "Please, son, put the gun down. We aren't going to hurt you. No one is ever going to hurt you again, as long as I draw breath. Just please, put it down."

"Whatever you're reaching for, you'd best stop, Pops," amethyst eyes narrowed dangerously. "Now, you're gonna take me back to London, and the Preventers, and then leave me the fuck…"

"Expelliarmus!" Severus snapped, his wand in his hand before the boy realized what was going on.

The gun was wrenched out of the former pilot's hands so violently that he had no chance of keeping a grip on it. The weapon sailed through the air, only to be caught deftly by Snape. His dark eyes swept over it before he clicked on the safety and placed it on the couch behind him.

"Now as it is your first day here, boy," he said quietly, but it caused a shudder of fear to race down the spines of the other two, "I shall forgive your threatening my husband. However, you do it again, and you will wish for death."

"Now, Severus," Harry held up his hands, a slight tremble to his voice, he'd not heard his husband use that tone since they'd gotten together, "he just got here. He's confused. Obviously he was raised by Muggles, so our little stint from London to Spinner's End was a bit much for him." He then turned to his son, "Brendan…"

"Duo," the braided teen glared. "My name is Duo, Duo Maxwell."

"Fine, Duo," Harry closed his eyes in pain at the statement, this was his son but obviously he wasn't going to be accepted as his father, "if you will just sit down, we'll explain."

Duo perched on the nearest surface, which happened to be the coffee table. He then looked expectantly at the two men in front of him. He had to give them some credit. That Severus guy was pretty scary and he managed to take his gun away from him, something not even Heero Yuy could claim, and Harry Potter had yet to lie to him. The two adults took a seat on the couch, facing the teen.

"Well," he said impatiently. "You said you'd explain. Start explaining."

* * *

Ammie: Okay, there's the next chapter of Hurry Home. Hope ya'll enjoy. Let me know what ya think so Duo can be inspired.


	4. Meet the Grandparents

Hurry Home

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: I need a drink!

AN: Dear god! I hope you all enjoy this! I pulled this chapter out of… well you really don't want to know, so I could give ya'll a fourth day of Christmas present. Anyway, here it is.

Chapter 4: Meet the Grandparents

Duo lay awake later that night, his hands laced behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. If you'd told him a month ago that he'd be lying in bed in his own room of his father's house, he'd have given you a strange look and recommended that you make an appointment with Sally Po. And if you'd said that not only would he be in said situation but that his father was actually a wand waving wizard, he'd have driven you to the nut house himself. Yet, that's exactly where he was at the moment.

Not only was his father a wizard, no, he was a Healer, basically a wizarding doctor. His stepfather, he supposed that was the appropriate title for the man who was married to his father, was a Potions Master. Oh, but not only that, no, they had to go one step further. They both worked at a school that taught Witchcraft and Wizardry, where they had each attended when they were younger.

He rolled onto his side and stared out the window at the star studded sky, a random thought running through his head. If his dad… no father, just because he happened to share his DNA did not make him close. Anyway, if his father had magic, did that mean there was a possibility that he did too? And if he did, could he actually use it? Or would it be damaged or lost cause he hadn't started training at a young age like other wizards?

Hmm, he'd have to ask tomorrow. Right now, it was time to sleep. He rolled over once more and closed his eyes and was asleep within five minutes.

8888888

Across the hall, Severus watched from the bed he shared with his husband as Harry very slowly prepared to join him. He could tell the younger man was upset by the events of the day, and he couldn't blame him, it wasn't every day that the son you thought was dead for fifteen years popped back into your life. Of course, he couldn't blame the boy for his actions either, he didn't know Harry and had no reason to think that he hadn't just abandoned him, except the Healer's word. He shook his head, only time could heal this wound.

"Harry," he finally said as he watched his husband eye the door in contemplation, "come to bed. There is nothing you can do now."

"I know," Harry sighed as he slowly made his way to the bed. "I just wish I could do something to make him believe me. It hurts, Sev."

"I know," the Potions Master gathered the young Healer in his arms. "You can't force him. He'll only retreat further, he's too much like his carrier in that regard."

Harry gave a weak chuckle, "He is, isn't he?"

"Yes. Now get some sleep, you insufferable brat," Snape gave a half smile as he maneuvered them so they were lying down.

"Maybe I should go check on him?" the younger man tried to sit up again.

"He's not going anywhere," dark eyes rolled slightly as he pushed his husband's head to his chest. "The wards would alert us if he did. Now go to sleep. You'll be able to see him in the morning."

"I suppose you're right," Harry sighed as he made himself comfortable in his husband's arms. "I just feel so helpless right now."

"I can't help but feeling a distinct sense of déjà vu," Snape chuckled.

"How so?" his husband asked, idly running his hand along his makeshift pillow.

"If I recall correctly," the dour man carded his fingers through his husband's hair, "we had a similar conversation when Poppy told you that Brendan needed to start sleeping in his own room, and you kept wanting to check on him every five minutes. Now go to sleep, before I resort to the method I did at that point."

"Oh, and what was that?" Harry asked sleepily.

"I gave you a Dreamless Sleep potion," Snape placed a kiss on the young Healer's head. "Good night."

"Night," his husband muttered as the lights were extinguished.

8888888

Duo wandered from room to room, more like pace between the rooms, the first signs of boredom entering his steps. He'd been in this house for less than twenty-four hours and already he was about to go crazy.

He'd woken up that morning to the most pleasant aroma of cooking food. He'd stumbled out of bed and made his way down to the kitchen to find Severus seated at the table, perusing a newspaper called the _Daily Prophet_, and Harry at the stove, expertly flipping pancakes. They had exchanged pleasantries as they sat down to eat, but that had been it.

After breakfast, Severus said he was going down to his lap, something about replenishing the stock. Harry had disappeared after lunch, saying he was going to go quit his job so Dumbledork, or something similar, would have enough time to find a replacement. He had offered to take Duo with him, but the former terrorist wanted to get a feel for the house he'd be living in for the foreseeable future. That had been four hours ago.

His father still hadn't returned from wherever it was that he went, and Severus hadn't come up from his 'lab' once since lunch. Okay, scratch that, the man did come up once for a cup of tea, but then he had disappeared once again without a word. Duo had scoured the entire house and surrounding grounds, well except for the 'lab' as he didn't want to disturb Severus, who was still pretty scary to the self proclaimed Shinigami. And now, there was nothing else to do, unless he wanted to pick up one of the many books on the shelves and start reading, but that wasn't exactly his cup of tea.

At half past four, Severus finally emerged from his lab. He entered the living room and found Harry's son lying on the couch, one arm thrown over his face and apparently asleep, but there was no sign of his husband at all. He scowled darkly as he moved into the room.

"Ya know," the braided teen moved his arm slightly to reveal one amethyst eye, "if ya didn't frown so much people might like ya better."

"Where is your father?" Snape's eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Whoa, don't take this out on me," Duo was on his feet in an instant, his posture defensive. "I ain't seen him since he left to go do that thing."

"I see," the Potions Master's scowl deepened. "Damn Dumbledore."

The dour man turned on his heel, his robes, which Duo hadn't realized he was wearing earlier, billowing out behind him. He stalked over to the unlit fireplace and grabbed a bag off the mantle. The former Deathscythe pilot watched in fascination as Severus lit a fire and tossed some glittering powder in that made the flames turn green.

"Hogwarts, Headmaster's office," Snape snapped as he knelt next to the fireplace.

Before Duo could stop him, Severus had shoved his head into the flames. He'd barely had time to panic before the Potions Master pulled his head back out. He opened his mouth to figuratively bite the man's head off. However, the flames flared a brilliant green again and his father stumbled out of the fireplace before he could. His eyes darted between the two men, his mouth hanging open in shock for a moment, then his shoulders slumped slightly and he looked resignedly at his father.

"More magic?" he deadpanned.

"More magic," Harry nodded, a faint smile pulling at his mouth. "I'm sorry it took so long. Dumbledore wanted a full explanation as to why I wasn't going to be returning next term, something I really didn't want to go into with him. And no matter how many times I told him it was personal reason, he kept badgering. I did tell him that you would have the new stock of potions ready for whoever he gets to replace me. Maybe he'll take my advice and give the job to Luna."

"Mrs. Longbottom would be a good choice for the job," Severus nodded. "Her husband is going to take over for Pomona soon."

"I forgot about that," the Healer shook his head. "Neville will make an excellent Herbology teacher."

"Shit!" Duo cursed suddenly, causing both adults to turn and give him admonishing looks. "Hey, do you have a phone? I need to call some people. One of which is my partner. She's probably about ready to fucking skin me alive for leaving like I did."

"In the kitchen," Harry frowned. "We'll talk about your language when you're done, young man."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he waved him off as he turned and sauntered to the kitchen, his braid swinging idly back and forth as he went.

Once in the kitchen, he made sure the two men weren't eavesdropping before he picked up the phone. He had a silent debate in his head on who to call first, Quatre or Hilde. Quat? Hilde? Hilde? Quat? Quat? Hilde? He should probably get the scolding out of the way first, so Hilde it was. He picked up the receiver on the old fashioned phone and dialed. He idly wondered how much this call was going to cost, as it was to L-2 but he figured that he could pay Harry back later.

"Hello, H&D Scrapyard, this is Hilde speaking," his business partner's voice floated over the line.

"It's D&H, Hild," amethyst eyes rolled in annoyance. "Says so on the sign."

"DUO!" he had to hold the phone away from his ear so as not to burst an eardrum. "Where the hell are you?! I've been worried sick?!"

"Yet you didn't call the Preventers to find out," Duo chuckled slightly. "Anyway, looks like I'm not coming back for a long ass time, Hild."

"What do you mean?" she asked sharply. "Don't tell me Une drafted you into the Preventers?"

"No, unfortunately not," he shook his head, not that she could see it. "I'm currently at my father's house until further notice."

"Haha, very funny, Duo," he could tell she was rolling her eyes. "Now what's the real reason you're not coming back? You find yourself a man?"

"Seriously, Hilde," he said exasperatedly. "That's why Une called. Apparently, my blood was placed in the system during the war and I now have to live with my father and his husband."

"Well, you come back as soon as you can, okay?" she said quietly, her tone worried. "I'll send you your share of the profits every month. Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"Are you sure?" he looked at the phone suspiciously. "You're not going to continue yelling at me?"

"Duo," she sighed. "You have no choice in this matter. Why would I get mad at you for that? Just keep in touch, okay?"

"Okay," he shook his head again. "I'll talk at ya later, Hild. Be good and don't let that boyfriend of yours lay a hand on ya, unless he wants to deal with Shinigami."

"Goodbye, Duo," she deadpanned before the line went dead.

He looked at the receiver once more, shaking his head in disbelief. He was sure that girl was going to yell and scream and bitch at him for at least half an hour, but no, she had surprised him. He clicked the button on the phone and dialed the next number, time for a more friendly call.

"Quatre Winner speaking," the Arabian picked up on the second ring.

"Q-ball," he said happily, jumping up on the counter next to the phone. "Miss me?"

"Duo!" the blonde's greeting was much quieter than his partner's. "How are things going?"

"I'm bored," the braided teen said idly. "I spent most of the day alone while Harry went out to quit his job. Severus was down in his 'lab' working on something or other but I didn't bother him, he's scary, Quat. Almost like you on ZERO."

"I'm sure he's not that bad," Quatre chuckled but sobered quickly. "Don't be afraid to let them in, Duo. They love you, give them a chance to show you. Anyway, I've gotta run. I'll call you later at this number and we can talk, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," his shoulders slumped sadly. "Later then."

He had just jumped down from the counter and replaced the phone when a loud pop sounded behind him. He whirled around, his braid flying and his hand automatically falling to where his gun would normally sit if Severus hadn't taken it away from him. In front of him stood a man with shoulder length black hair and grey-blue eyes, which were currently wide in surprise.

"Who are you?" They asked at the same time.

"I asked you first?" they said again.

"No, I did," they once again answered in unison.

"What is going on in here?" Severus stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, Harry just visible behind him.

"That's what I'd like to know," Duo mimicked his posture, putting on his best Shinigami face. "This man just popped in here out of the blue and started demanding answers."

"Ah, Severus, my boy," the stranger extended his arms in invitation to the dour man. "How's my favorite son-in-law?"

Severus turned around and locked gazes with Harry, "You deal with him."

The bespectacled man nodded before turning back to the man in the kitchen, "Sirius, you know better."

"But Harry, I was just having fun," the now dubbed Sirius rolled his eyes. "Snivellus just needs to learn to lighten up."

"Sirius!" Harry said through clenched teeth.

"Fine, fine, Severus, happy," grey-blue eyes rolled in annoyance. "Anyway, who's the kid?"

"What are you doing here?" the younger man shook his head, bypassing the question at the moment.

"The annual end of year bash," Sirius scowled. "Don't tell me you forgot? Moony went to help Ron and Mione with the brats before they got here."

"Goddamnit," Harry cursed.

"We'll have a talk about your language later, young man," Duo stuck his tongue out at his father, mocking his earlier threat to him.

"Brendan Devin Potter that is enough out of you," Harry scolded, pointing his finger in the braided teen's direction.

"It's quite refreshing isn't it?" Snape quipped from the doorway, having returned just moments earlier. "Now you can understand why I use your full name on numerous occasions."

"Whoa, Harry, you feeling okay?" Sirius walked over to the Healer and placed his hand on his forehead. "Well, you're not running a fever. I'll call Luna, okay? And you," he rounded on Snape, his arm protectively around Harry's shoulders, "letting him believe that this boy is his dead son. How could you, Severus Snape? You know how bad it was when he discovered Brendan was gone."

"Sirius, I'm fine," Harry tried to move away. "And this is my son, as I was told yesterday by the Head of the Muggle Preventers."

Just then there was a sharp rapping on the front door. Severus waved his wand and the portal opened, revealing three more adults, two men and a woman, and two small children, a girl and a boy. The first man who entered had light brown hair that was liberally spattered with grey and a kind, yet tired, looking face. The second man was tall and lanky with vibrant red hair and wore an easy going expression on his freckled face. The woman had busy brown hair and a rather plain face, he guessed it could be called pretty, but it wasn't the most beautiful Duo'd ever seen. The children both had red hair, like the second man, and were obviously his children.

"Remus!" Sirius barked, calling the attention of the guests to the kitchen. "Please come and have a look at our son, he's claiming that the Muggles found Brendan!"

"Whoa, hold the phone," Duo waved his hands in front of himself. "Are you saying you're my grandpa?"

* * *

Ammie: Okay, so the only reason I wrote this one today was cause I had this idea from when I stopped the last chapter. Anyway, I hope ya'll like it.


	5. Small World

Hurry Home

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

AN: Okay, ya'll this is a combination eleventh, twelfth, and actual Christmas day present! RL interfered. But here it is, even if it is a little late.

Chapter 5: Small World

The guests made their way into the kitchen, frowns marring their faces, except for the two children, who weren't sure what was going on. The brown haired man went immediately to Sirius and Harry, and began looking the young Healer over. The other two adults stared intently at the braided teen, not sure what to make of the situation. Duo met their stares head on, arms once again folded defiantly over his chest.

"Well," the woman finally sighed, "he does have Brendan's coloring."

"Yeah, but Hermione," the redhead shook his head, "you know the likelihood of him being alive is next to zero. It's probably some punk ass kid who was put up to it be his friends or guardians to get Harry's money."

"Get off me," Harry finally pushed the two men away angrily. "As I was telling Sirius before you three walked in, this is Brendan. The Preventers did a DNA test and it was a match."

"Oh, they did, did they?" Hermione's brow eyes narrowed slightly. "We'll just see about that."

She made her way resolutely over to the counter next to where Duo was standing. Without a word, she picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory.

~Preventers Headquarters, London branch, how may I direct your call?~ the voice on the other end said after the first ring.

"Put me through to Dr. Sally Po, please," Hermione said calmly, examining her fingernails.

~I'm sorry, Dr. Po is currently in a meeting, can I take a message?~

"Then patch me through to Lady Une," the witch sighed in annoyance.

~She's also in the meeting,~ the person on the other end was clearly getting annoyed. ~I can take a message for you, and I'm sure one of them will get back to you at their earliest convenience.~

"Call up to Lady Une's office and tell her that Agent Bitch is calling," she smirked slightly at the gobsmacked expressions on each man's face. "She'll talk to me."

~Just a moment, please.~

Hermione held up her hand, forestalling the questions she knew were coming her way, as she was put on hold. After a few moments, she began drumming her fingers on the counter impatiently, until a different voice picked up the line.

~Une speaking,~ she said curtly. ~This had better be important.~

"Oh, it's so nice to talk to you too, Anne," Hermione said cheekily. "Anyway, I do have an important question for you."

~And that would be?~ Une asked, barely concealed curiosity in her voice. ~I don't have all day, Weasley.~

"Fine," the bushy haired brunette sighed. "Do you remember a case for the FRA, involving a Harry James Potter?"

~Yes, we just closed it yesterday, when Mr. Potter came in to claim his son.~

"Who ran the DNA analysis?" she scowled, this was not what she thought she'd hear.

~Dr. Po was in charge of that particular case,~ Une explained calmly. ~Given the minor in question.~

Brown eyes landed on Duo once again and began a more thorough study of him. After what felt like an eternity to the braided teen, her eyes widened slightly, and her mouth formed a perfect 'O'.

"I see," she nodded, not that the Head of the Preventers could see her. "So there was no chance that there was a mix up?"

~Sally checked the results, herself, three times.~

"Thank you, Lady Une," Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "I'm sorry I bothered you."

~I would say it's been a pleasure,~ Lady Une sounded amused, ~but we both know that would be a lie.~

"Of course," Hermione smirked. "I will make sure that the minor in question is well looked after."

~You know him?~ she could tell one of the Lady's brows had risen at the question.

"But of course I do," she said, once again turning cheeky. "He's only my godson after all, and I hope he's given you hell. Ta ta, Lady Une."

With that being said, she clicked the phone back in it's cradle and turned to the still stunned audience she had. One by one, arms crossed all around the room as the men silently waited for the only female in their midst, the children had wandered off to the living room while she was on the phone, to explain herself.

"You all look ridiculous," she sighed in exasperation. "Does it surprise you all that much that I have contacts within the Preventers?"

"Hell yeah it does," Duo shook his head in confusion. "How the fuck do you know Lady Une?"

"I would scold you for your language, young man," she turned a reproving glare on the teen. "However, given your upbringing and current circumstances, I'll forego it at the moment. As to your question, I fought alongside Sally Po throughout the Eve Wars. I am also a temporary agent within the Preventers."

"Oh, yeah," the redhead scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I forgot."

"Of course you would," she gave him a fond smile. "Now, I believe we have dinner to make. All of you, shoo," she began herding the men out of the kitchen, "except you, Brendan. I'd like to have a word with my godson."

The men grumbled for a few moments, except Severus who would never be caught dead grumbling, but quickly made their way to the living room. As soon as they were gone, Hermione went over to the door and pushed it closed. She pulled her wand from her sleeve and quickly waved it at the door, causing Duo to gape at her in confusion.

"I just gave us a bit of privacy," she smirked at his look. "Now, why don't you get out a pan from the cupboard and we'll start making dinner."

"I thought you were joking," he moved to comply, albeit reluctantly. "You really don't want me in the kitchen. My friends tend to think something will explode if they leave me alone in the kitchen for too long."

"Well then, good thing I'm not leaving you alone then," she chuckled. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong here, but are you, or are you not, the Gundam pilot 02?"

"W-what?" the braided teen whirled around so fast his braid came back and smacked him in the face, but he didn't seem to notice. "Listen, lady, I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but that's not something you just accuse someone of at random."

"I'm not accusing," brown eyes rolled in annoyance. "God, you're as jumpy as your father. No, I was just wondering if you also inherited his knack for trouble, and his mentality about saving others."

"I think you might be confused," he shook his head.

"Confused is not something I get accused of frequently," she laughed. "Now, don't make me get some of Severus' Veritaserum. We'll try this again," she held out her hand. "I'm Specialist Hermione Weasley, formerly of the Alliance Military corp., part of the rebellion under Major Sally Po, and currently a temporary agent within the Preventer organization."

"Duo Maxwell," he frowned, taking her hand. "Street rat from L-2, former pilot of the Gundam Deathscythe, and recently discovered son of Harry Potter."

"That's better," she beamed. "Now, we're going to be making spaghetti, think you can boil the water without causing it to explode, as your friends seem to believe?"

"Whoa, wait," he looked at her in confusion. "That's it. You're just going to accept that, no further questions?"

"I had the honor and privilege of fighting alongside a Gundam pilot during the war," she shrugged. "I know that your reasons are your own, but the five of you did a noble and brave thing, who am I to question that. Besides, if Lady Une and Sally Po trust you, then I see no reason to question their judgment."

"Damn, lady," he shook his head in disbelief. "Thanks."

"It's Hermione," she waved him off. "Either that or Aunt Hermione, I wasn't joking about being your godmother. My husband, Ron, the redhead out in the living room, is your godfather."

"So," amethyst eyes narrowed in thought, "if you are all still here, what happened to me? Why was my childhood so shitty that I felt that I needed to fight to keep others from living the life I had?"

"Oh, Brendan," she sighed, moving over and enveloping him in a hug. "We didn't abandon you, if that's what you think. However," she shook her head, pulling back just enough to look him straight in the eye, "it is not my place to tell you what happened. You'll have to take that up with Harry and Severus. Just know that it almost destroyed both of them when they discovered you were missing."

"I'll try and keep that in mind," he shook his head, moving out of her embrace, and continued watching the pot of water he'd put on to boil.

"Watch this," she winked mischievously, pulling out her wand once again.

She tapped the pot and a moment later the water was boiling. Duo couldn't suppress his laughter as he continued to watch her magic all the food together. In no time at all, the food was ready and the table set for nine.

Hermione sent Duo out into the living room to collect the others for dinner. Not two minutes later, they were all seated around the table and digging in to the surprisingly delicious food.

"Ya know," the redhead, Ron, said around a mouthful of food, "I'm glad Mione took those cooking lessons from Mum. If not we'd be eating stale bread and water."

"Quiet you," said woman frowned and smacked him upside the head, much to the amusement of everyone around the table.

"So, Brendan," Sirius turned to his grandson, "where have you been for the past fourteen years or so? Harry said you haven't told them your story yet, I bet it's quite the tale."

"I think," Hermione interjected when she noticed the teen shift nervously in his chair, "that he should discuss that with Harry first. In the mean time, how about you regale us with your adventures over the years?"

"Aw, you're no fun anymore, Mione," the dog Animagus pouted.

Harry snorted into his plate, "You mean there was a time when she was?"

"Well," Ron said bemusedly, ignoring the rising color on his wife's face, "there was that one time in fifth year, remember? When she practically forced you to teach us Defense."

"Oh yeah, I remember that," the raven haired Healer chuckled. "We thought something was wrong with her. Hermione Granger actually wanting to break the rules, it was a sign of the apocalypse."

"Yes, well," she huffed indignantly, "we had to do something. That cow wasn't teaching us anything useful and we were in the middle of a war."

"I know," Ron said suddenly, "how about you tell him about how we met Sirius? That was an interesting adventure."

"Or not," green eyes rolled in annoyance. "I don't think we need to be telling Brendan about how we spent most of our schooling avoiding dangerous situations and breaking the rules."

"Come on, Pops," Duo leaned forward anxiously, these tales sounded interesting. "It's not like I haven't ever gotten in trouble before."

It was Hermione's turn to snort into her drink, deciding it was time, since the teen in question had brought up the topic first, "Yeah, like almost being executed."

"WHAT?!" everyone else's eyes were now on the braided teen.

"It wasn't that big a deal," he chuckled nervously. "And I wasn't, so, yeah, let's just drop it."

"Oh, no, Duo Maxwell," the bushy haired girl shook her head. "I think it's about time you had that conversation. You should tell the others about what you did during the war."

"What are you talking about, Hermione?" Remus frowned. "He's only a teenager. No one, in their right mind, would allow someone his age to take an active role in a war."

"Dumbledore had no problem with it," Harry put in helpfully.

"Thus him saying in their right mind," Severus smirked. "No one has accused Dumbledore of being sane in the past fifty years or so."

"So, Duo?" Hermione once again turned her attention to the teen. "How about it? How about you tell these fine gentlemen all about how you fought for the colonies, taking on OZ and the Alliance, and saved the Earth Sphere from total annihilation from White Fang?"

"Duo?" emerald eyes turned to his son in entreaty. "What is she talking about?"

The former Deathscythe pilot glared at his godmother, "I said, it's nothing. It's not like I was 01, who went out and decided that he needed to stop that piece of debris from falling on the Sphere. So what if I was a Gundam pilot? The war's over, and peace now reigns over the colonies and the Sphere."

"You were a pilot?" the werewolf's eyes widened in disbelief. "But from what I heard, those pilots were almost suicidal in their recklessness."

"Yeah, well, we didn't think we'd live through the war anyway," Duo shrugged. "It's over now, can we just move on? The rest of the ESUN has."

"Well, there's no doubt about it," Sirius shook his head. "You are definitely Harry's son. Always trying to save the world from the bad guys."

"Let me guess, you were willing to do it all on your own as well?" Severus' brow rose in sarcastic humor. "It would be fitting for the last Potter."

"Hey!" Harry glared at his husband. "I think you should all be going," he sent meaningful looks at the guests. "We'll meet up later during the summer or something. I feel I need to have a long talk with my son."

"Yeah," Ron slowly pushed to his feet, "we should be going. We'll figure out another time to catch up. Come on, Mione. Rose, Hugo, say good bye to your Uncles."

"Bu-bye," the two children said in unison, going over and giving the young Healer a hug.

"We'll be over to visit soon, I promise," Harry said, giving each a kiss on the top of the head.

Hugs and farewells were exchanged and then the guests finally took their leave. Severus waved his wand, banishing the dishes to the sink where they began cleaning themselves, before turning a pointed look on his husband and his husband's son. Harry's eyes also turned to his son, pinning the boy in his chair. Duo gulped nervously before trying to get out of his chair, sure they had magicked him to it. He quickly discovered that wasn't the case and hastily pushed to his feet.

"Lovely dinner," he said making a fast break for the door. "We should do that again sometime."

"Sit," Snape hissed softly.

* * *

Ammie: There it is, I hope ya'll had a great Holiday, and enjoy.


	6. It Doesn't Matter What You've Done

Hurry Home

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: I LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AN: Okay, please don't kill me for the long wait I've put you all through. First there were computer problems, then total lack of inspiration, and then I just decided to get over it and finish this chapter. I know it's kinda short, but I just couldn't make it any longer, not without getting off the topic at hand. Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoy.

Chapter 6: It Doesn't Matter What You've Done

Duo reluctantly made his way back to the table. Damn that woman! First, she said he should discuss his past with the man who was his father, then, not five minutes later, told the whole room what he'd done during the war. He didn't want to talk about that, nor his shitty childhood, with these two men, who were practically strangers to him. Hell, not even the other pilots knew all the details, and he considered them his closest friends.

"Bren-" Harry closed his eyes in slight pain as he caught himself saying his son's name. "Duo, please sit down." He indicated the chair to his immediate right.

The braided teen complied reluctantly, but didn't relax. In fact, he perched on the very edge of the wooden seat, looking ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. The dour Potions Master took the seat on his other side, effectively caging him in.

"Duo," emerald caught and held the amethyst gaze, "please. Please tell me."

Unable to look away from his father's pain-filled orbs, he slowly shook his head. He couldn't tell this man the horrors of his life, he'd hate him and more than likely send him away. Even if he didn't think this man loved him, like he had dreamed and hoped for his entire life, he wanted to pretend for a little while longer.

"Would you rather have Severus leave?" the Healer asked.

He shook his head again. It didn't matter whether the older man stayed or not, he wasn't going to tell them anything anyway.

"Listen, Duo," Harry sighed, placing his hand on the teen's, "it doesn't matter to us what you've done. It's not going to change anything."

"They why do you need to know?" the former Deathscythe pilot asked quietly.

"I don't," his father took a shuddering breath. "I'd just like to have everything out in the open, and not have to hear my son's life story from my best friend. I love you. You are my baby and nothing is ever going to change that fact. I know you don't believe me, and don't want to let me in, but nothing you can say or do will change how much I love you."

"If you love me so much," amethyst eyes hardened, locking away the hurt and betrayal to let Shinigami come out and play, "where the fuck were you for the past fifteen fucking years?"

"Don't blame Harry for that," Severus snapped, his voice full of self loathing. "It was my fault."

"No, Severus!" the Healer scolded sternly. "We've been over this time and time again! It was no more your fault than mine! It was that rat, Wormtail, and Voldemort who took my baby away from me, not you!"

"Whoa," Duo held up his hands, effectively breaking up the argument, keen to hear about these two new players in the game. "Who the hell are Wormtail and Voldemort? Wormtail sounds like something I'd name an opossum," that caused both adults to cover their mouths to hide their amusement. "And what's up with Voldemort? I mean come on: Flight from Death? If you're going to strike fear into someone's heart Shinigami, the God of Death, works so much better."

This earned him raised brows from both older men. Harry, however, quickly shook it off and looked his husband straight in the eye. Severus gave an almost imperceptible nod in response to the silent communique.

"What you have to understand, Kit," the Healer sighed, not able to look at his son, "was that when you were born, there was a war going on in Wizarding Britain. There was a dark wizard who went by the name of Lord Voldemort. He was rumored to have died on October 31st A.C. 166 (1). However, he wasn't, he had just been reduced to nothing more than a spirit. Almost fourteen years later, about four months before you were born, he regained a body. Very few people wanted to believe that he had returned. It was up to those of us who knew or believed to prevent him from a second rise to power."

Here, Duo snorted loudly. That sounded a lot like what he and his fellow pilots had done. Taking out the Alliance and OZ before they started another war. Doing what others only spoke about.

"Severus," Harry indicated his husband, choosing to ignore the interruption for now, "was a spy, both before Voldemort fell and after he came back. For most of that year, Voldemort was quiet, he didn't want everyone against him from the start, while he was still rather weak. Somehow, though, in May of A.C. 181, he found out about you. When Severus found this out, and overheard his plans for you, he returned to the school and said we needed to hide you. I agreed. I refused to let Voldemort take another family from me."

This caused a frown to mar the braided teen's face. Why would this Voldie guy specifically target Harry and his family? Unless the Healer was leaving a big chunk out of the story, it didn't make sense to the former pilot.

"Severus decided," the Savior of the Wizarding World continued, unaware of the confusion coursing through his son, "and was right of course, that it would be best if I didn't know where he was taking you."

"I took you to an old _acquaintance_ of mine in the Muggle world," the dour Potions Master picked up the tale. "In my mind, it was the last place the Dark Lord would possibly think to look. Why would Harry Potter hide his son with those who can do no magic? However, it is hard to spot a rat, and I was followed."

"You were followed and didn't notice the guy?" Duo asked with an incredulous scoff. "And you called yourself a spy?"

"Wormtail," Harry shook his head slightly, "is actually a man named Peter Pettigrew, and he is what is known as an Animagus, a wizard who can turn into an animal at will. His animal form was a rat."

The former terrorist nodded in confused understanding, he still had a bit of trouble understanding magic, but motioned for them to continue anyway.

"It took less than a month for the Dark Lord to be destroyed at that point," Severus shook his head, a smirk pulling at his lips. "I believe Harry was determined to have you back before the school year ended. However, he was badly injured in that fight, almost fatally so. While he was recovering, it was up to me to retrieve you. However, when I arrived, I found the house burned to the ground, my acquaintance was dead, and Wormtail was cursed into insanity."

"Damn," Duo shook his head, finally willing to concede that the man claiming to be his father might actually care, might being the operative word.

"There's more," green eyes blinked, causing the moisture which had been pooling on his lashes to spill down his cheeks. "Before Voldemort died, he said my son wasn't safe. That I shouldn't have trusted the traitor with your safety and that it was already too late, that I'd never see my son again. When Severus returned to the school without you and told me what he'd found, I knew that Voldemort had figured out our plan and destroyed it. Our side may have won the war, but Voldemort almost succeeded in finally destroying me. If it hadn't been for Sirius coming back, and Severus, I would've ended it."

"What do you mean, Sirius came back?" the braided teen frowned.

"We thought he had died in the final battle," Harry shook his head. "But right after Severus returned with the news that you were gone, Sirius returned. He's the closest thing I've ever had to a dad and it made things better to have him back, not completely, but at least bearable. Together they made it so I could go on living. Just don't tell them they actually worked together on something, they'll deny it with their dying breaths. Now, you don't have to tell us, Duo," he sniffed, scrubbing the tears away, "but I would like to know what I've missed out on in my son's life."

The former Deathscythe pilot looked down at his hands, which were clutched tightly in his lap. He didn't really want to do this, but if it would make those tears go away... He didn't want to see Harry like that, whether he was his father or not, he seemed to strong to do something like cry.

"For as far back as I can remember," he began quietly, his voice ragged with suppressed tears, "I lived on the streets of L-2. I ran with a gang of other orphans. Until the plague hit, Solo was the designated leader. He took care of all of us, but he always treated me special. When I failed to get the vaccine in time and Solo and most of the others died, I took over. I looked out for the others and made sure we all lived up to Solo's ideals.

"When I was six, the Maxwell Church Orphanage took us all in," he closed his eyes, the faces of those he cared about floating in the blackness behind his eyelids. "The others were all adopted our rather fast. But not me. No one wanted me. But that didn't matter then. Sister Helen and Father Maxwell took care of me. They treated me right."

Harry and Severus stared at the teen in front of them. How could he have survived going through all that when he was so young? True, neither of them had had what anyone would call normal or ideal childhoods, but they had at least had a place to call home.

"When I was eight," Duo continued, unaware of the turmoil going through the two men, "some rebels came to the church, attempting to use it as a hostage against the Alliance. They wanted a mobile suit. They hit Sister Helen, so I volunteered to go get one, so they would leave us the fuck alone. When I returned," he clutched the cross that was still dangling around his neck, "the Alliance had bombed the church. They stopped the rebel group, but they also took out the civilians inside as well. I found Sister Helen, still alive, in the debris. She told me about how brave Father Maxwell had been, how he'd preached pacifism right up until the end. She died in my arms."

Harry closed his eyes and bit back a sob. To have experienced so much in his young life, it was no wonder he didn't want to accept a father at face value. He would just have to reassure him that nothing was going to take him away every again.

"After that, I lived on the streets again," he took a shuddering breath, forbidding the tears to fall. "I don't know how much time had passed between then and when I snuck on to Professor G's ship. He let me stay on to test his security systems, since I had bypassed some pretty heavy shit to stowaway in the first place. I was also allowed to work on Deathscythe with him. When it came time, I was gonna destroy the Gundam, but G had me steal it instead. The rest is now pretty common knowledge."

"Brendan," Harry sniffed, tears still streaming down his face, only this time for his son. He stood up and pulled Duo out of his chair, enveloping him in a fierce and protective embrace. "If you'll let me, I'll prove to you how much we want you. How much you are loved. It doesn't matter what you've done, we still love you. You're home, and for as long as you want it, you will always have a place here. Let me prove this to you, please."

With a muffled sob, Duo nodded against his father's chest. He'd let them try and prove themselves, but he wouldn't get his hopes up too much.

* * *

Ammie: Okay people, there's the latest chapter, hopefully it's worth the wait. I'm trying to work on all my other fics, so I can't promise any updates any time soon.


	7. Family Outing

Hurry Home

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: I sleepy...

AN: Okay, I know this chapter is rather short, but in the end that's where it wanted to stop. I have learned over the years to not fight my muses for longer chapters, otherwise they sit on my computer for months. By the way, this chapter was planned since I first decided to make Duo Harry's son, so I hope ya'll like it.

Chapter 7: Family Outing

The embrace was interrupted by the incessant ringing of the phone of the counter. Duo pulled hastily away from his father as Severus got up to answer it. He surreptitiously wiped his eyes as the Potions Master placed the receiver to his ear.

"Spinner's End," he said calmly.

~Hello, is Duo Maxwell there?~ the person on the other end answered.

"Who is this?" Snape scowled.

~Oh, forgive me, my name is Quatre,~ he chuckled nervously. ~Duo called me earlier. Did I misread the number?~

"No, he is here," dark eyes landed on the braided teen. "Just a moment." He held out the phone for Duo, "It's for you. A Quatre."

"Oh!" a smile split his face as he took the phone and placed it to his ear. "Hey Quat!"

"Don't talk too long," Harry said, ushering his husband out of the room.

Duo nodded as his friend greeted him.

~I'm sorry about earlier, Duo,~ the blonde sighed. ~I was on my way to meet a possible business associate for dinner and I couldn't put it off again, especially since I was in the country. And I'd already rescheduled it twice. Though let me assure you, I would've much rather talked with you.~

"That bad, huh?" Duo jumped onto the counter next to the phone, leaning against the fridge.

~You have no idea. This man would go to any lengths to impress a potential client or associate. Which is really frustrating when you can tell that half the stuff he spouts off is an outright lie.~

The braided teen listened quietly to his friend's troubles, which seemed quite insignificant when compared to his own, but he wasn't going to tell the blonde that. Anyway, it was nice to know that not everything was perfect for everyone else, as strange as that sounded. However, the creaking of the door caused his head to shoot up, and had him wishing he still had his gun on him, he hated feeling defenseless.

"Sorry," Harry poked his head into the room, "Severus needs a... Get off the counter, Duo. Merlin, you're as bad as Ron."

Severus' snort could be heard all the way from the living room, "You're the one that sits on the counter tops, Harry."

~Is that your father, Duo?~ Quatre asked curiously.

"Yeah, it's Harry," amethyst eyes rolled in annoyance, but he didn't budge from his perch. "Anyway, you were telling me about this ass kisser, so what did he do?"

~It was bad, Duo. He's a widower, but he had invited his son and his family over for the evening. And let me tell you, both men could've done with loosing a bit of weight." Duo took this to mean that the blonde was just being polite and not calling them fat. "Anyway, it started out with this simpering little girl answering the door and saying 'Can I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Winner?'~

Laughter bubbled out of Duo's throat at that comment, "I bet Trowa got a kick out of that. So these whales thought you'd be bringing a wife with you? Bet they were speechless when they not only realized you're only fifteen, but gay."

~It was a bit of a sticking point at first,~ Quatre giggled slightly, Duo's laughter had always been infectious. ~But it was quickly smoothed over by the son. He said his cousin, on his mother's side, was also 'that way' and it wasn't brought up again. But the amount of rage that spiked at the mere mention of the nephew was horrifying.~

"Wait," Harry was now standing next to Duo, trying to nudge him off the counter and able to hear what was being said, "he wouldn't happen to be talking about the Dursleys, would he?"

~Yes, that was their name, Vernon and Dudley Dursley, and Dudley's wife and two children.~

The raven haired wizard doubled up laughing, bracing himself firmly on the counter. Duo stared at him incredulously while Quatre was completely quiet, and if he had been there he probably would've been staring as well. After a moment, Harry gained a semblance of control.

"Let me guess," he cleared his throat slightly, "one of the kids said they had to write an essay about their hero and chose you?"

~The little boy said that, yes,~ the blonde's voice was laced with confusion.

"I feel sorry for your friend, Bren—Duo," Harry shook his head. "Vernon Dursley is my uncle. I should get in touch with Dudley though, he had some guts mentioning me in that house. Okay, I'm going now."

The former Deathscythe pilot watched the older man leave, before shaking his head and turning his attention back to the phone.

"That was weird."

~A bit,~ Quatre replied. ~Anyway, how did your evening go?~

"Oh, not bad," Duo said evasively. "I met my grandparents, adopted I think, considering they were both guys, and my godparents. And get this, my godmother fought with Sally in the war, and knows Une, called herself Agent Bitch."

The former Sandrock pilot began coughing, and the braided teen couldn't keep the smirk off his face, wishing he was there to pat him on the back.

~Small world.~

"And getting smaller," the braided teen shook his head. "Well anyway, I should probably let you go, Trowa's probably waiting to have his wicked way with you for putting him through that ordeal of an evening."

~DUO!~ Quatre squealed in indignation as Duo placed the phone back on the cradle.

8888888

After breakfast the following day, the family of three headed back to London, specifically to a place Harry called Diagon Alley. Duo had been a bit miffed that they had once again traveled via Apparition, but compared to the other options his father had described it did sound the best. He wasn't too keen to find out what it felt like to be dragged by his bellybutton through a screaming vortex of colors, he'd piloted the Zero system once thank you very much, nor did he want to be flushed up a fireplace and swirled around in a mixture of flashing rooms. So he had suffered in silence about the cosmic straw effect.

They landed in a dimly lit pub called the Leaky Cauldron and then, after a quick nod to the barkeep, headed out the back into a small alcove. Harry pulled his wand out of his sleeve and began tapping a brick three times, three up and two over, Duo made a mental note of the specific brick. A moment later, a large archway appeared and a winding street was revealed. Amethyst eyes widened as he tried to take in everything at once, but even with his upbringing and training it was still impossible.

"Hey, Sev, why don't you go take care of your Potion supplies," Harry looked over at his husband, "while I take Duo to see the twins?"

"And spare me dealing with those redheaded menaces?" a dark brow rose in mock incredulity. "You are too kind, oh husband mine."

Harry stuck his tongue out at Severus before placing a gentle hand on Duo's shoulder. Ignoring the slight flinch his action caused, he began steering him down the street, avoiding as many people as possible. A few minutes later, they arrived outside a very lurid store with the name Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. With a slight chuckle, the dark haired wizard reached out and opened the door.

"I think you'll like this place," he said quietly. "Why don't you go look around? I need to have a word with the proprietors."

The braided teen shrugged as he moved off to examine the nearest shelf. He had to admit, he did like this place. It appeared to be entirely dedicated to prank items. If only he could get his hands on a few of these things, he'd have the time of his life. Oh the things he could do to the other pilots or his fellow Sweepers. He smiled slightly as he remember two specific Sweeper comrades from the war, they had enjoyed pranking just as much as he did and they would cause trouble wherever they went. Most people learned to distrust anything those two would touch. With a nostalgic sigh, he continued his way along the aisles.

"Excuse me, Miss, can I help you with anything?"

The former Deathscythe pilot whirled around, his braid flying in an arc and his amethyst eyes narrowed dangerously, "Excuse me?"

"Duo?" the redhead who had mistaken him for a girl was staring at him incredulously.

"George?" Duo stared right back.

"Oh my god," George went over and lifted the teen off his feet, "it's been months, little brother. Where have you been? We've missed you. Just a minute, let me get Fred. Oi, Fred!" he called into the bowels of the shop. "You'll never guess who has decided to grace our humble shop with his esteemed presence!"

"What are you yelling for, George?" a second redhead, identical to the first, rounded the corner. "Harry's over here."

"I'm not talking about him," the first turned around, revealing the teen still dangling from his arms. "Our littlest brother has come to pay us a visit."

"Is that...?" Fred blinked in disbelief. "It can't be... Duo?"

Without any further warning, Fred charged over and sandwiched the former Deathscythe pilot between them. Duo was actually anticipating this move so wasn't surprised when it happened. It had been one of their favorite ploys whenever he returned from one of his missions. His laughter soon filled the shop, drawing a small crowd of employees and customers to the trio.

A throat cleared behind them, "Mind telling me what is going on here?"

"Oh, hiya Harry," Fred beamed. "We'd like to introduce you to the best pranking prodigy we've ever had the pleasure to teach. Duo Maxwell, this is our dear friend, and another of our adopted brothers, Harry Potter."

"We've met," Harry crossed his arms over his chest, leveling a glare learned from his husband on the twins, "before you ever did. Now if you don't mind, please release my son before I hex you into doing so."

"What?" both twins said in unison.

"Nice one, Harry," George laughed.

"Bren died years ago," Fred shook his head.

"Don't tell us you're going delusional?" George frowned.

"He's not," Duo cut in. "Apparently, before I ended up on L2 I was his son."

Everyone in the surrounding crowd was now staring between their savior and the boy still sandwiched between the notorious Weasley twins. Fred finally stepped back as George placed Duo on his feet and held him at arms length. Identical blue stares assessed the braided teen with a critical gaze.

"He does have Diggory's eyes," George mused.

"And Harry's scrawny figure," Fred continued.

"And the hair color is definitely pretty boy Diggory's," George frowned.

"But if he cut it short, it'd be as unruly as Harry's," Fred added.

"He's as loyal as any Puff out there, like Diggory," George shook his head.

"And he's got Harry's saving people thing," Fred sighed sadly.

"The flying ability could come from either of them though," George turned to his twin. "Remember Diggory was the only one to ever beat Harry at a game of Quidditch."

"Hey, that didn't count," Harry protested. "Even Ced admitted that. There were extenuating circumstances."

Both twins ignored him, their gazes still locked on the former Deathscythe pilot.

"It is conclusive, Fred."

"Indubitably George."

"He is Harry's son," they said together with a decisive nod.

"Thank you for that fine analysis," green eyes rolled in annoyance. "Because the DNA results weren't conclusive enough. Now can we please move along?"

* * *

Ammie: Sorry for the wait folks, RL has been a right bitch recently and things just keep getting in the way. Anyway, let me know what ya'll think.


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